Naftali Kinuthia found guilty of murdering Ivy Wangeci in 2019

Naftali Kinuthia, the suspect in the killing of Moi University medical student Ivy Wangeci on April 9, 2019, has been convicted of murder.

While delivering the judgment virtually from the High Court in Malindi on Thursday, Justice Stephen Githinji ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge dismissed Kinuthia's defence that he was provoked after the deceased, whom he was involved with romantically, ended their relationship and eloped with another man.

Kinuthia had confessed to the murder early this year saying he bought the axe he used to execute the murder in 2018 because he was overwhelmed with rage. 

His conviction comes four years after his arrest outside the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital where he hacked Wangeci to death in broad daylight.

The 28-year-old Kinuthia at the time, who had previously denied killing her, is said to have come from Nairobi, armed with an axe and a knife.

He reportedly lured her out of class and hit her on the head with the axe before slitting her throat.

On why he killed Wangechi, the suspect at the time told the Eldoret East DCI detectives that heartbreak occasioned by frequent disappointments is what had made him brutally take away the life of his alleged lover.

He claimed he had invested money and emotions in the woman, but his love and financial kindness were not reciprocated as per his expectations.

Wangeci was laid to rest in Mahiga, Nyeri County on Thursday, April 18, 2019.

Kinuthia’s sentencing has been set for November 22, 2023.